By Teresa Huddleston, owner of Huddleston Designs

The great thing about having a patio is that, not only does it give you a place to enjoy the outdoors, it can also be a true extension of your home. You’ve heard the phrase “bring the outside in.” When you’re decorating a patio, you should also “bring the inside out” to give the space a touch of the same personality that lives inside your home. The patio shouldn’t be a complete style departure from your home’s interior. Rather, it should continue the flow and reflect your taste and style. Below you’ll find my top ten tricks for creating the perfect patio.

1. Define room settings

Try to set up your outdoor space according to how each area will be used. Create one zone around the grill or fireplace and another surrounding a pool or hot tub, if you have one. You may also want to create a separate conversation area that’s a bit more tranquil and separate from the kids’ play areas. Make sure to furnish it with enough outdoor furniture, tables and outdoor rugs and lamps to give it that “sit and stay a while” feeling.

2. Light it up

Lighting is a “must do” for outdoor areas like patios. The right lighting will give it the ambience that makes it a truly special place to be even well into the night time hours. If you have a deck that gets a lot of sunlight during the day, you could surround it with solar lights that will then glow all night. Solar lights are a great way to avoid having a lot of expensive electrical work done. Outdoor lamps are also a great solution, and you should incorporate them the same way you would in your living room and surround the area with lights. I also like it when people extend the lighting out into the yard itself with up lights on the trees or spotlights showing off a beautiful flower bed or shining on a favorite statue or pond.

3. Think about flow

In a home, the wrong floor plan can really hinder your ability to enjoy the space. It’s equally important to consider traffic flow when you’re organizing your outdoor spaces as well.

If your access to the patio is through the kitchen, put your barbecue grill and food preparation area closest to the house so you can easily transport food in and out. If the patio comes off your bedroom, the first thing you should see is a relaxing area – perhaps a spot for reading or a great-looking hammock. If your patio is off the living room, it’s great to extend that living room feeling into the outside with another conversation area. If you’re lucky enough to have a pool in the backyard, try to set it up so that guests coming inside from the pool enter through a room with tile floors instead of carpeting – something like a mud room or laundry area.

4. Create central gathering areas

If you often invite large groups of people over for an outdoor party, make sure you create a space that’s open enough to accommodate the group. It’s awkward when you’re part of a large group and everyone is hovering around the only three or four chairs available. For big groups, create more than one outdoor room setting because people tend to clump together in different spots. You can also extend your groupings out onto the lawn itself.

5. Think green

Most people know that a patio begs for plants. Make sure you choose plants that add not only color but also different textures. Have a variety of plants of varying heights – some flowering and some just green. Don’t forget to include a few beautiful ferns, and add some interest with a variety of different planters, too. Though it’s a simple ingredient, plants really do make a huge difference in the overall feel of your patio.

6. Add some heat

As crazy as it might sound to use a fireplace or fire pit in the middle of summer, having one on your patio can enable you to use the space year-round. If your patio doesn’t have a built-in fireplace, a portable or semi-permanent fire pit can be a great solution and will add a cozy ambience for your outdoor gatherings. People just tend to relax and settle in around a fire, and it can be the perfect backdrop for those long conversations on the patio or deck. Make sure to shop around and see the various styles of fire pits before you choose one.

7. Create a relaxation station

One of the things clients request most in their outdoor space is a place to relax. You don’t necessarily have to be in a camping tent to “get back to nature” and enjoy nature’s beauty. Create a space on your patio for pure relaxation – reading, meditation, yoga practice or even napping. Be sure to bring in the sounds of nature by including a fountain or pond with running water. If you have a covered patio, a ceiling fan can add some nice, gentle movement and a relaxing breeze. Incorporate wind chimes, if you find them to be pleasant, but skip it if they’re a little too annoying.

8. Don’t forget the kitchen

If you’re hosting a party on the patio, people need to eat. So having some sort of outdoor kitchen space is a must. Some custom homes have an entire kitchen built into the patio. But if your home is like mine, you’ve got to figure out a way to create a kitchen space around a simple bar-b-que grill.

People will always gravitate to the area where the food is, so make sure to create a large enough space to accommodate them. Make some seating areas and include a big, galvanized tub full of ice and drinks. You could put the tub on a table top or on an iron stand. Be sure to have enough tables on hand for seating as well as serving the food. Make the kitchen area a fun, festive place to hang out.

9. Decorate with accents

Choose accents for your patio so that they’re in line with your personality and continue the flow from the rest of your house. Flowering plants are a must. Also include outdoor rugs, pottery, gates, sculptures and natural materials like stone or even tree stumps.

Give your patio some personality, too. Include a fun or unusual conversation piece – like a statue, wall hanging or unusual tile. People will gravitate to it and start asking questions. It can be something fun or something personal to you. Gazing balls can add a touch of whimsy, and, if you have the time to maintain it, a coy pond is always a great addition.

10. Create a viewing area

Installing an arbor, pergola or gazebo can give you the opportunity to create a beautiful “viewing area.” The gazebo could also double as your “relaxation station.” I saw one gazebo in a magazine recently that had a large wooden swing installed in it that faced out toward the children’s play area. It looked like the perfect spot to sit and snap photos, read a book or just enjoy watching the kids play. Sometimes arbors are extended off the house to create more shade, which can be enhanced by letting vines grow over it. Your arbor area could function like a breezeway or an entrance into a larger garden area. Fill it with flowers and shrubs. This type of structure is also a great way to divide a more adult space from the kids’ play area.

Teresa Huddleston is an interior designer and owner of Huddleston Designs. She also specializes in “re-design,” taking what you already have and recombining it for a completely new look. You can e-mail her at thuddleston7183@att.net or by calling 479-871-4116.

When a new client calls me, typically it’s because something about their home’s interior doesn’t feel or look quite right, but they’re having a hard time putting a finger on what’s not working and an even harder time fixing it. In about 95 percent of cases, their décor dilemma results from a few common problems. I’ll describe the top five culprits and help you avoid or correct them in your house.

1. Size matters: When decorating, this old joke really does ring true. Getting the scale of your furniture and accessories right will make a huge difference in the overall feel of a room. In many cases, people choose furniture that’s too small. Homes built in the last few years have very hi v gh ceilings. If the furniture is too small in a tall room, it ends up looking like miniature doll furniture. Choose pieces that will help fill the space and volume of the room.

I also see plenty of scale problems on walls. A small picture will get lost on an expansive wall. It will never look or feel right to you. So fill up that space with either a much larger single picture or two matching or complementary pictures hung next to one another.

2. Less is more: Trust me, I know how hard it is not to buy lots of different décor items for your house. Nobody loves to shop for home accessories more than me. But beware of creating a house that looks crammed full of stuff. Visually speaking, your eye needs a chance to rest as it scans a room. Many times I see homes brimming full of smaller items like candles, picture frames, small ceramics, etc., and it ends up looking and feeling cluttered. If you’ll put away some of the little stuff and use fewer, larger items, you’ll achieve more impact. Using fewer things lets your eye see each item better and you don’t feel overwhelmed.

3. No more matchy-matchy. This is a tough one for many people because we’re all accustomed to seeing complete furniture sets sold in stores. Some people may really like that look, but, in my opinion, having a room full of pieces from the same “set” can make the space feel a bit dated and dull. The main reason so many people have furniture sets is because that’s how some furniture stores prefer to sell them. They’re also catering to customers who don’t want to work too hard furnishing a room, so they buy a whole set and call it done.

If you want something more eclectic and updated, don’t fall into the old habit of buying a set. Or if you already have a set at home, try breaking it up into different rooms to create a look with more visual interest.

4. Color me happy. We all know how important the right colors are in our homes. Most people are great at selecting their favorites. But some don’t pay much attention to how color flows throughout the house. You don’t want to walk from one room to another and feel like you’ve just visited two entirely different homes. Overall, you want your home to feel cohesive. (The exception to this rule is in kids’ rooms. It’s more than okay to go a little crazy with color and theme in a kids’ room. After all, it should be a fun, colorful place that reflects the personality of the kid who sleeps there.)

I’m not suggesting you create a sea of beige in your home. But when you use different colors, try to make sure they all stay in the same degree of intensity. No pastels with bright reds. If you want a big, bold color, try using it on an accent wall first. Same goes with furnishings. It feels odd to go from one room with very contemporary, modern furniture into one filled with very traditional pieces.

5. Lighten up. Many times I walk into a new client’s home and notice that the overhead light is the main or only one being used in each room. I say, “Get thee to a store and buy some lamps.” There are so many inexpensive, great-looking lamps out there these days. And lamp light will always create a softer, homier ambiance. Use your overhead lighting only when you’re dusting or cleaning up. It just feels too institutional.

Speaking of lamps, I’ve got to reiterate the first rule about scale. Try to align the size of your lamp (especially its base) with the size of the table it’s on. No tiny lamps on huge tables, and vice versa. Don’t feel like all the lamps have to match or be the same type. Mix floor lamps with table lamps. But don’t put an up-light or torchiere style lamp next to a chair you intend to use a reading spot. It won’t help you see your book or magazine and it won’t look right, either. Really think through how you use each part of the room and light it accordingly.

So there’s the top five design demons, and the good news is they’re all very fixable. But if you’re struggling to create the look you want, don’t keep buying new furniture or accessories in an effort to “get it right.” You’ll drain your energy and your bank account. Your money might be better spent on a short consultation with a designer who can help you see the problems and how to correct them. Many people think they could never afford to use a decorator. But there are plenty of us out here who charge a very reasonable hourly fee and we don’t all insist that you buy a house full of new, expensive things. I love doing a “re-design,” when I rearrange and refresh a room without buying anything new. Clients are always amazed at how different and new a room can look and feel, even though it’s filled with the same things they’ve owned for years.

Click back here in the coming weeks for more guest essays on interior design, complete with photos for examples. Here’s what’s coming up: “Mantle Makeovers,” “Mama Needs a Bedroom Retreat,” and “This Summer’s Party-Perfect Patio.” Happy decorating.

Teresa Huddleston is an interior designer and owner of Huddleston Designs. You can contact her at thuddleston7183@att.net or call 479-871-4116 for a consultation.